U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,057,159, 4,059,198 and 4,485,932 disclose child-resistant closure and container prescription packages that include a container or vial, a closure, and a spring/seal disk arrangement disposed between the closure and the container. The closure has lugs on an inside surface of a skirt that cooperate with external locking notches or pockets on projections around the mouth of the container for securing the closure to the container. An internal abutment on the closure cooperates with the spring/seal disk(s) to urge the closure away from the container so that the lugs are resiliently captured within the notches. When it is desired to remove the closure, the closure is pushed toward the container so that the lugs clear the notches, and then turned counterclockwise. When the closure is assembled to the container, the lugs cam beneath surfaces on the projections against the force of the spring seal disk(s) until the lugs snap into the notches on the projections.
Although the closure and container packages disclosed in the noted patents have enjoyed substantial commercial acceptance and success, improvements remain desirable. For example, it can be difficult for adults with impaired dexterity to push and twist the closure with respect to the container to open the package for access to the contents. Some prior art packages have both a child-resistant mode of operation and a non-child-resistant mode of operation, wherein the closure must be inverted, or flipped upside down, and re-applied to the container in the non-child-resistant mode of operation. This inversion of the closure on the container often yields a package having a different appearance in the non-child-resistant mode than in the child-resistant mode.
A package in accordance with a first aspect of the invention includes a closure having a skirt with a first plurality of lugs, a container having an open end and a second plurality of external projections and a spring to bias said closure away from said container. The second plurality of external projections on said container includes a first series of projections having under-notches alternating with a second series of projections without under-notches. Indicia on said closure and container are for selectively engaging the lugs with the projections with under-notches in a child-resistant mode of operation, and engaging the lugs with the projections without under-notches in a non-child resistant mode of operation. In the preferred embodiment, the spring is formed by opposed portions of the closure and the container, one or both of which resiliently deflect to develop the spring force. A separate spring element, such as a spring disk, could be provided between the closure and the container rim, but would be less preferred.
A package in accordance with a second aspect of the present invention includes a closure for attachment to a container. The closure has a skirt with a plurality of lugs and an internal surface. The container has a sidewall terminating in an open end and having a plurality of projections thereon. The plurality of projections include a set of child-resistant and a set of non-child-resistant projections. The child-resistant projections have undersides with notches for receiving the plurality of lugs of the closure, and the non-child-resistant projections have substantially flat undersides for locating against the plurality of lugs of the closure. The sidewall further has a conical surface at the open end for engagement with the internal surface of the closure to seal the package and to resiliently bias the closure away from the container. The internal surface on the closure skirt preferably is conical.
A package in accordance with another aspect of the present invention includes a closure for attachment to a container. The closure includes a base wall and a skirt extending from the base wall. The skirt has a plurality of internal lugs extending radially inwardly and an internal surface between the plurality of lugs and the base wall. The container includes a base, a sidewall extending from the base and terminating in an open end. The sidewall includes a plurality of external projections extending radially outwardly therefrom, and sets of child-resistant and non-child-resistant projections. The child-resistant projections have undersides with notches for receiving the plurality of internal lugs of the closure. The non-child-resistant projections have substantially flat undersides for locating against the plurality of internal lugs of the closure. The sidewall also includes an external conical surface between the plurality of external projections and the open end for engagement with the internal conical surface of the closure for sealing the package and for resiliently biasing the closure away from the container so as to resiliently urge the plurality of internal lugs into the notches of the plurality of child-resistant projections in the child-resistant mode of operation and to resiliently urge the plurality of internal lugs into contact with the undersides of the plurality of non-child-resistant projections in the non-child-resistant mode of operation.
Another aspect of the present invention includes a closure for receipt on a container having a plurality of external projections. The closure includes a base wall, a skirt, and indicia on at least one of the base wall and the skirt. The skirt extends from the base wall and has a plurality of internal lugs extending radially inwardly and an internal surface between the plurality of internal lugs and the base wall for sealingly engaging the container. The indicia are provided on at least one of the base wall and the skirt to facilitate selective engagement of the plurality of internal lugs either with the plurality of external projections of the closure in a child-resistant mode of operation or in a non-child-resistant mode of operation.
A further aspect of the present invention includes a container for cooperation with a closure having a plurality of internal lugs. The container includes a base, and a sidewall extending from the base and terminating in an open end. The sidewall includes a plurality of external projections extending radially outwardly therefrom, and including a set of child-resistant and a set of non-child-resistant projections. The child-resistant projections have undersides with notches for receiving the plurality of internal lugs of the closure. The non-child-resistant projections have substantially flat undersides for locating against the plurality of internal lugs of the closure. The sidewall also includes an external conical surface between the plurality of external projections and the open end for sealing engagement with the closure and for resiliently biasing the closure away from the container so as to resiliently urge the plurality of internal lugs into the notches of the plurality of child-resistant projections in the child-resistant mode of operation and to resiliently urge the plurality of internal lugs into contact with the undersides of the plurality of non-child-resistant projections in the non-child-resistant mode of operation.
In one or more of the preferred embodiments of the invention, there are indicia provided on one or both of the closure and container to facilitate selective engagement of the plurality of lugs of the closure either with the child-resistant projections of the container in a child-resistant mode of operation or with the non-child-resistant projections of the container in a non-child-resistant mode of operation. Moreover, the sets of child-resistant and non-child-resistant projections are circumferentially interspersed around the sidewall of the container. Finally, one or both of the sidewall of the container and the skirt of the closure is radially resiliently flexible and adapted to flex upon engagement of the opposing surfaces of the closure and container for sealing the package and resiliently urging the plurality of lugs into the notches of the child-resistant projections in a child-resistant mode of operation and into contact with the undersides of the non-child-resistant projections in a non-child-resistant mode of operation.